Traditional Literature

Traditional Literature

I. Give a Super Sentence (who came up with this word?) definition of Traditional Literature. One definition of traditional literature is that it is a type of story. It could be a fable, a folktale, a myth or legend. It is passed down from older generations to younger ones in the form of a tradition.

II. How can you use traditional literature in the classroom? Give details.

Any time folktales, fables, legends or myths are introduced to students, they will be exposed to traditional literature. For younger grades, a story like the Jack and the Beanstalk or The Three Little Pigs or Billy Goats Gruff. Also, stories like The Tortoise and the Hare, The Hardworking Ants and the Lazy Grasshopper, and The Boy Who Cried Wolf. You can use these stories to teach students about repercussions and consequences of their actions.

III. Will I use traditional literature in my classroom? Why or why not?

How can you avoid using it in your classroom? Well . . . I guess if you tried hard enough, you could avoid it. But yes, of course I will use traditional literature in my classroom. I think it is a great tool for teaching values. My favorite example is that of The Grasshopper and the Ants. What a great story to use to teach that: a) idleness brings want b) to work today is to eat tomorrow, and c) it is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

Of course Disney, much as I love Walt and the crew, softened their version a bit. Their (politically correct)version of the fable shows the ants taking pity and giving the grasshopper some food, on the premise that turning the grasshopper away in his time of need is also morally questionable. In their 1934 animated short subject produced by Walt Disney, the Queen of the Ants decrees that the grasshopper may stay in the ant colony, but he must play his fiddle in return for his room and board. He agrees to this arrangement, and the ant tunnels become a grand ballroom where all the ants happily dance to the music of the grasshopper, who finally learns that he needs to make himself useful.

Nowadays, we just use food stamps.